Newton's Third Law
by YukiSkye
Summary: Opposite yet equal. Thus the guiding force of these series of drabble collections revolving around a certain detective and his gentleman thief whether it be in one way or another. KaiShin.
1. Temperature

Yes, yes so I'm sure many are groaning in your seats saying "Geez another drabble collection?" It seems I've jumped a bandwagon but my real intention here was to either write down my multitude of story ideas that I really love and want to put into multi-chapter but can't work out the kinks or to otherwise cure my itch to write something. The opposite thing serves as something different than "write a story based on a word" but they're still prompts. I didn't want to use word generator or whatever because there are too many damn words in the world and oftentimes I steel myself to write about a word unconditionally but end up not liking the word so whatever I write comes out crap. I need something narrower and thus this.

I've originally planned the collection of stories so that they, so to speak, "melt" into one topic to another but after a while it just didn't seem to work out. It was one, too difficult, and two, I've actually already written a lot of shorts and some are sequels to earlier works so that means I can't just shift them around so easily so after the first few chapters you'll find a sudden shift from smooth to rough. Those of you who read my wall of text will now be aware but of course, there's always gonna be people who'll skip it. Eh.

* * *

1.** Warm and cool**

Shinichi jolted awake when he felt sudden cool air invade his previously warm cocoon. He heard rustling before someone slipped into his bed beside him, hugging him tightly from behind.

Though sleep-addled, he was far too familiar with this situation for him to be alarmed.

"Kaito, get out of my bed," he grumbled half-heartedly.

Kaito simply continued to cling onto Shinichi as though he were his own personal, huggable radiator.

2. **Hot and cold**

It was a summer night and yet it was still so hot that if he didn't know any better, Shinichi would have sworn the heat came from the moon. It was a summer night to end all summer nights and yet here he was, laying uncomfortably in wait for KID to arrive, the scorching heat hot enough that he felt a bit ill just from laying in the same place for too long. Actually, now that he thought about it, this scenario felt kind of familiar… It was almost like that dream…

He shivered despite the superheated air and shook his head. No… That was just a dream. Nothing's going to happen. He's going to lay here and melt under all this heat until KID decided to arrive to trade wits while he cornered the thief wherein he would either escape or get captured and _then_ escape after which the gem would be returned and he would announce he would be stealing something else after several weeks. Rinse, wash, repeat because yes, there _will_ be a next time. There won't be an assassin lying in wait and there definitely won't be a bullet through the heart.

Still, in the pit of his stomach, he had a sinking feeling, a sense of foreboding so cloying that it outstripped the summer air. Despite all his rationality, he felt immensely _scared_ for some reason and the feeling was so stifling and so intense he couldn't ignore it. It was as unbearable as the heat.

He stood from his place just as KID arrived, making his presence known.

"Oya if it isn't tantei-kun. Good evening," the thief greeted, turning towards him with a polite grin which slid off when he noticed the uneasy look on the detective's face.

"KID, I think you should leave as fast as you can tonight," he managed nervously.

"But…" Kaito frowned in concern when he saw how pale Shinichi was despite the weather. He looked frightened for some reason, frightened for_ him_ and it was worrying. "Alright. I'll leave then."

A brief look of relief flickered across the detective's face before he nodded.

KID was preparing to take off… And Shinichi watched in horror from side where the thief had pushed him into as an incomplete metal scaffold behind them collapsed and several poles pierced him through. The sounds of his screams were something that he swore will haunt him even after death.

He felt sick. He couldn't believe this. He wanted to vomit. He wanted to look away but it felt as though some force was compelling him to keep watching. His vision flickered and blurred and vaguely, he thought he heard someone laughing cruelly at him in the background of his mind, the sound simmering like a heat wave.

He was starting to lose consciousness but wait a minute… Was KID… smil—

He woke with a start in his bed as before and he immediately bolted upright, his whole body trembling and his breath coming out in short, frightened pants as though he had been running for miles.

Later, he watched in terror as the ceiling collapsed on KID.

He watched in panic as his torn glider plummeted towards the streets a few hundred feet below.

He watched hopelessly as KID crashed headfirst through a window and cracked his skull on the wall beyond.

Even though it was a summer night to end all summers, somehow, Shinichi always felt cold.

3.** Burning and freezing**

Shinichi sat outside under the cover of night.

The moon was full and white and the stars invisible under the blanket of city lights from beneath.

He sat out and gazed at the round figure, wishing with all his might that he could sprout wings and fly far, far away, somewhere he could escape.

How could this have happened? How could everything have gone so wrong so fast when it hadn't even been remotely anywhere near so at the beginning? Everything was… Everything was…

His mind blanked and he could feel himself shut down.

He had had enough.

A blanket of warmth surrounded him and the grim white phantom thief appeared beside him, shielding his sight but more importantly, shielding him. Only then did he allow the tears to slip.

His soul was frozen but the spirit beside him was still burning.

4. **Fire and ice**

Shinichi dove onto the ground as the ice spell arched overhead, instantly freezing the surrounding grass into silvery needles and showering him with frozen water droplets. He was unaffected, however despite the biting winter cold air, the remnant of the spell.

He rolled onto his back and unleashed a torrent of searing flames at his opponent so as to ward him off as he leapt towards him.

This mage was skilled, more skilled than any other he'd ever encountered, and powerful. However, skilled and powerful or not, he can't be defeated.

He got back to his feet and was startled to find blades of wind rushing towards him. He managed to shield himself from four but two managed to cut him in the arms and legs.

He gritted his teeth against the pain and glared at his opponent. So he was a dual mage. Two could play at that game.

Straightening up, he aimed his staff towards him as if he were about to shoot another tongue of flame and the other quickly prepared another spell before unleashing it.

A howling whirlwind suddenly surrounded Shinichi, tearing up the ground around it while dangerously sharp icicles condensed within, flying around at alarmingly high speeds. The cutting wind sliced at him but the fire mage remained calm. It was actually a rather good thing the ice mage had casted this spell.

He changed the position of his staff so that the head pointed upward and he raised his other arm, palm facing inward. A spark sprung to life in the air between his hand and the orb on his staff and seconds later, full-fledged white electricity crackled to life.

He pointed his palm towards one of the bigger icicles circling him and the lightning leapt from his hand to the floating shard of ice, his skin tingling as it did so.

Just as the lightning landed on its target, a dozen icicles closed in on him.

He created a barrier of fire magic before quickly directing the lightning to spread to the other ice shards. A second later, a hail of icicles bombarded him and he could do no more but to defend.

As they came, he shielded himself with his fire which doubled as protection and as a strengthener for his lightning but he was quickly weakening from the continuous onslaught and he knew he couldn't keep it up much longer. He needed an opening to attack however, with the constant barrage it was unlikely he would get it. Either his spell would kill his opponent or he would die.

Grimly, he pursed his lips and braced for the pain that would inevitably follow before he finally stopped defending and directed his lightning, now much more intense than it had been initially, towards his enemy at the same time that five icicles plunged into his body in rapid succession while wind sliced his flesh into deep gashes.

He uttered a small sound of agony and crumpled to the ground just as the screaming winds lessoned around him before finally ceasing completely, the icicles it held within tinkling as they struck against each other on their way to the ground.

The pain was blinding and the chill from the frozen daggers made him feel hypothermic. His vision was going black and he was losing consciousness.

Before he did however, he spotted a shadow moving towards him and his heart sank in utter dismay when he realized he hadn't killed his opponent.

He had failed.

It was with that wretched thought that he succumbed to the icy darkness.

5. **Snowflakes and embers**

Drops of snowflakes like small white candies drifted down from the sky around him, their beauty and serenity as soft as a mother's gaze as they grazed gently around the burning inferno that was his home bellowing at him furiously. The fierce orange glow reflected off wide twin violet orbs of a young boy no older than eight. Although the sight was devastating, he dared not tear his gaze away until, at last, there were but a few embers left nestled within the charred black remains like a sated beast.

He stood shakily from where he had been kneeling on the ground for the past two hours, shivering violently.

There was a breath of cold air from behind him and he felt cool arms enfold him in a hug yet he felt no chill.

"Rest, young one. I will protect you," a sorrowed voice like the wind murmured into his ears and Kaito complied, shutting his eyes to the world and to the wrench in his heart.

* * *

1. No comment.

2. Based on the song Heat Haze Days except motified. I originally had it follow the song more closely so that they were sitting in a park during a summer's day and so on but I later decided that the night scene would fit better since I'm writing a DC fic and obviously it would suit the scene better if Kaito died of more malicious means. If you're interested in the original piece though, feel free to tell me and I'll send it over. There's gonna be a two-part sequel to this later on.

3. I guess this is an AU but really, it's just an author's random muse. Not much there.

4. This one was interesting to write. In case you were wondering why Shinichi said it was good that Kaito cast his spell, it was because the ice shards banging against one another would create friction for lightning. I tried to read up on how thunderstorms work and tried to incorporate that knowledge. I think that I hadn't gotten it entirely but oh I tried. Unfortunately despite the ending, I can't think of anything to follow up on it so it's unlikely this one will have a sequel. Maybe though if sudden inspiration strikes but if you have any ideas feel free to tell me!

5. This one will also have a sequel so stay tuned!

Since this is a collection, this may remain in-progress for all eternity haha.


	2. Seasons

H'ok so I guess I'm going to post the next set now since I'm gonna be going away for two weeks on vacation which means no access to my beloved stories so posting these for you to enjoy instead of having to wait three weeks or more.

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1. **Summer and winter**

Shinichi stared out his front door, shook his head, went back in and promptly decided another cup of coffee was in order. Obviously the early hours had muddled his brain more than he had thought.

Coffee finished, cup washed and neatly placed back, he returned to his front door and opened it yet again.

The same mounds of smooth pearly white snow still met his eyes.

Unable to keep it in, he burst out. "Kaito!"

"Yes?"

Shinichi swiveled towards Kaito, who had suddenly appeared standing casually beside him, and pointed at the snow.

"What is this?" he hissed.

"It's snow."

"Yes. It is indeed snow. But why, pray tell, is there snow covering the neighborhood in the _middle of July_?"

Kaito blinked at him as though confused as to why Shinichi even needed to ask. "Because it was hot."

Shinichi stared a moment longer in incredulity before shaking himself. Why the hell was he even acting out? Kaito _would _do something like bringing winter to summer.

"Should I wear a scarf or something?" he muttered, shuffling back inside his house.

"Yeah and put on some gloves too and a light coat," Kaito added cheerfully as he followed behind him.

"Right..."

2. **Spring and autumn**

To many, spring symbolized new beginnings of a fresh start. Therefore, it was a very appropriate season for a first meeting. It was the time when flowers budded and bloomed, when the weather grew warmer, and the days grew longer. It simply buzzed with new promises.

To many, autumn represented the beginning of the end, when the weather became cooler and the air was calmer, the period of time when things winded down after the hubbub of summer. It was when autumn leaves blossomed into fiery reds and oranges, and yellows, the last burst of life before they shriveled and died, beautiful until the end, just like the sakura, just like their love.

It was a fitting season to be forced to part.

3. **Wet and dry**

Kaito tried to contain his guffaws enough so that he was still able run from a wet and angry Shinichi at his heels. Tripping now because he was laughing too hard was as good as death (and a sad one at that) and he couldn't have _that_ now could he?

When Shinichi had first transferred to Ekoda High School, he had internally groaned at the thought of _another_ detective harping over his shoulder about his identity as KID. Not that they would be wrong but after a while, it tended to get pretty annoying pretty fast especially when Hakuba practically _stalked_ him for any evidence he could get, which was the absolute last straw in his books.

Surprisingly, however, Shinichi hadn't immediately gotten on his case about his alter ego. In fact, as long as he kept to his business, Shinichi kept to his own, a blessed respite from the constant glares and antics of his fellow detective.

However, the downside to all this was that Shinichi was also surprisingly apathetic to his classroom-wide and school-wide pranks. He withstood it, maybe make an exasperated gesture while he was at it, and then he moved on. It irked him to no end. Not that he had the same hostility towards him as he had with Hakuba but it just made him target Shinichi individually more to try to get a rise out of him.

He flew through the hallway choking on giggles before stopping in front of one of the windows, climbing through it and nimbly maneuvering down through the open window the floor below, earning startled cries from students.

He slid into one of the empty classrooms and shut the door before sliding onto the floor and covering his face to muffle his laughter.

He supposed now he knew Shinichi's tolerance didn't hold up against a consecutive barrage of pranks directed solely at him. But he also noticed that not all of his pranks irritated him the same way. Some annoyed him more than others and Kaito was giddy with glee at the discoveries. He actually had to _work_ for his rise and he so _loved_ challenges.

He peeked out the window panel set in the door and saw a relatively dry Shinichi as he grumpily asked students if they had seen him.

Kaito grinned and slipped out the room while the detective's back was turned before bombarding the newly dried detective with another volley of water balloons.

Shinichi wasted no time in spinning around and kicking an errant tennis ball at the back of his head which he dodged on reflex.

Oh yes, it felt good to be able to rile him up and truthfully, the attention focused solely on him wasn't nearly half bad…

4. **Storm and drought**

He dreamt of scorching deserts and thundering oceans, of faraway plains ravished by storm and lush green forests eaten by fire. He saw angry black skies and bloody red moons; never-ending winters and ravaged fields.

He watched the visions flicker past with a detached gaze, simply observing and watching and touching upon the landscapes with only a fleeting feathery touch of his consciousness but no more.

His dreams weren't always like this. He was sure once upon a time that they were peaceful, full of sunshine and blue skies with puffy white clouds above gentle greens but at some point, they seemed to have darkened over almost like a nightmare.

And when he opened his bleary eyes, it was to the most curious pair of violet eyes which instantly morphed into an expression of intense relief.

The young man's mouth was moving rapidly to form words but it was as though he was submerged deep underwater and he could hear nothing.

His eyes closed again to slumber but he found himself jolted away from his dreamscape home by a quick jerk.

"Oh no you don't. We've found you and finally managed to awaken you. You're not closing in on us again," the young man mumbled to him, sounding as remote as the echo of a memory.

But he still felt so drowsy and everything was still so distant. He didn't think he could stay awake for long.

The young man was talking to someone behind him but he was too busy fighting the wave of sleepiness assaulting him to have the strength to discern the words until he became vaguely aware of something being pushed towards his lips.

"Drink."

He did as directed, his mind too incorrigibly hazy to think to do otherwise.

The drink was bitter to the taste and the unpleasant assault to his tongue made him cringe but almost immediately, he felt the fog of sleep lift and his senses suddenly seemed to sharpen like never before to a needlepoint of crystal clarity.

His dazed eyes wandered about the stone ceiling above him, examining the intricate patterns but not really seeing them, too disoriented by the sudden lucidity he had not experienced for… for… He wasn't sure. Many, many moons maybe.

He was aware of a dry coldness in the air and a hard flat surface beneath his back on which he lay and he wondered what this was all about.

"Hello."

He shifted his attention from the ceiling to the same pair of violet eyes he had awoken to, looking at him curiously.

"Do you understand me?"

The language sounded strange, the accent and dialect different from what he was used to, but he could still understand it all the same. He could only nod vaguely for an answer, however, his throat too disused to chance speaking coherently.

"That's good. Can you… sit up?"

He hesitated. He felt too weak to lift himself up and he indicated so with a shake of his head.

"Okay then I'll help lift you up. Is that alright?" his awakener asked.

When he gave him his permission, the violet-eyed young man carefully eased him up into a sitting position and helped prop him upward with an arm.

He blinked at the grey wall in front of him before looking about his surroundings.

He was in an octagonal room of some kind with stone walls spaced between intermittent pillars. To his left was a tall window high above the ground from which golden light entered and to the northwest was a rounded wooden door with iron hinges. He became aware that what he was laying on previously was a large rectangular stone block raised atop several small stairs leading up to it.

He was also aware of several other people in the room besides his awakener.

There were two young women and two other young men, one of whom shifted a bit when his gaze fell on him. They all looked wearied but every one of them had a look of joy on their faces as they watched him, their attention making him vaguely uncomfortable.

"They are friends," his awakener suddenly said, returning his gaze on him. "They won't hurt you and we're all just so relieved to have been able to wake you."

One of the young men with brownish-blond hair that curled slightly about his head stepped up and, in what seemed to be in an entirely different language, asked a question too quick for him to decipher to which his awakener responded in an equal fashion. He didn't catch all that was exchanged but he still caught snatches and he knew the word Farseer enough to know that they were discussing him.

He caught words such as "storms" and "drought" and "suffer" and something about the start of a journey.

It made him uneasy not knowing what they were saying, to have his fate decided by these complete strangers, friends or not. He almost wished he was back asleep. At least his visions were familiar and he would be too entranced to fear unknowns such as this.

They seemed to have finished their conversation for the violet-eyed man was looking towards him again and said, "Sorry about that. I'm Kaito," then proceeded to point out and name his companions.

The pretty girl with the long brown hair was named Ran. The one with the messy, shorter hair was Aoko. The man with the dark skin and dark brown hair was Heiji and the blonde was Hakuba.

He nodded to each in turn as they each gave him his greetings, slightly nervous at meeting people after being isolated for so long. Ran, Aoko, and Kaito looked friendly enough but he felt a bit intimidated by Hakuba and Heiji, who was quite loud.

He didn't need to introduce himself though because if they found him, they obviously already knew his name. And he didn't feel he was quite ready to speak yet.

"We need you to come with us. Will you?"

Shinichi shifted uneasily. This room was all he knew in the brief moments he was awake and to suddenly leave it so soon after waking…

Kaito's face seemed to soften with understanding. "I know it's scary to find strangers in your room asking you to leave all that you've known after years asleep but please, we need you. I promise, no matter where we go, I'll be right beside you, always. I'll protect you, no matter what."

Shinichi glanced uncertainly at his awakener. He seemed to be holding his breath, eyes shining with earnestness and hope and he found that he couldn't quash it by saying no. Besides, if they had needed him so urgently as to come to his haven to awaken him, then it must be important. All he could do was trust his awakener to his word.

Haltingly he nodded his assent and the smile that he was rewarded with almost took his breath away.

"Thank you," Kaito breathed then he turned to the other four and said something along the lines of, "He agreed!" to which cheers sounded around the room, bouncing off the stone walls.

Turning back to him, Kaito said, "We'll help you outside and then I'll explain everything, okay?"

Shinichi nodded again and prepared himself for the journey.

5. **Sunny and rainy**

Some days were rainy. Some days were not. Some days were rainier than other rainy days and sometimes it just drizzled.

Today, it was a rainstorm.

Shinichi had come home drenched to the bone, dripping buckets on the floor and looking worst for wear.

When Kaito spotted him standing despondently at the front door, he had immediately begun to fuss over the motionless detective.

Towels were piled onto him and his hair scrubbed dry before the magician ushered him into the bathroom with a clean change of clothes.

Shinichi went about showering mechanically after which Kaito guided him to the couch and sat him down so that his head rested on his shoulders.

Shinichi's expression was still blank and Kaito waited with his arm around the detective as he patiently waited for him to speak.

Minutes ticked by and yet neither budged. There was not a sound but for the heavy pattering of rainfall on the window pane with the occasional rumble and sharp crack of thunder.

At last, Kaito's patience was rewarded as Shinichi finally whispered, "He was five years old living with his grandfather. I couldn't get to them fast enough, couldn't piece it together fast enough."

He paused and the silence seemed to stretch to infinity as the world howled angrily outside.

Kaito's arm tightened around Shinichi and he twisted so that he could fully hold him as a rainstorm brewed behind his eyes.

"Don't lose hope," he whispered, holding him lovingly. "There's always a tomorrow and if you can't see tomorrow, then wait and I'll wait with you."

Some days were rainy. Some days were not. Some days were rainier than other rainy days and sometimes it just drizzled.

But no matter what, it would always be sunny afterwards.

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1. I thought this was pretty funny not sure bout everyone else but then again I usually laugh at my own humor even if it's not really all that funny ._.

2. No comment.

3. No comment.

4. Ah this one was pretty interesting. It has a continuation but after that I dunno because I haven't really laid out the plot (if it had a plot it wouldn't be here.) Maybe I'll post a random snippet somewhere later. Somehow I feel as though if I did think up a complete plot, it'd resemble the storyline style from the Tales game series hahaha.

5. For this, the reason why Kaito isn't doing more to comfort Shinichi is because it's something he has to get over by himself. Anything else he says like "it's not your fault" or "you'll do better next time" just won't cut it and it'll sound a bit insincere because Shinichi really does think it's his fault and better next time didn't save the lives of those two victims. All Kaito can do is show him support and help him in any way he can.


	3. Celestial

1.** Earth and sky**

Kaito hurried through the tunnels towards his burrow, his breath coming out in short, excited pants, the light from the interspersed lanterns to his right passing by in an orange-yellow blur.

When he finally reached the end of the winding dirt tunnel, he burst through the door at the end, startling the occupant inside who almost dropped the delicate white china cup filled with tea in his hands.

Without preamble, he rushed to the other and hugged him, lifting him up from his armchair and twirling him around.

"Shinichi! It's wonderful! I've found it! I've found it!" he shouted joyfully.

"K-Kaito! Slow down and put me down!" Shinichi squawked, trying his best to at least preserve the life of his cup having given up on the liquid it no longer held.

Kaito stopped twirling him around but he continued to hold onto him tightly. "I've found it, Shinichi. After all these years, I've found it," he said, calmer but his voice was tense with barely-contained exhilaration.

Shinichi took a moment to gather his breath before he looked Kaito in the eye. The violets were covered in a thin sheen of tears twinkling with pure happiness.

He quickly put down the china onto the small round table and cupped Kaito's face in his hands, staring into his eyes wonderingly. "Did you really?" he whispered.

Kaito released his torso to hold his hands against his face. "Yes, yes I did. I've finally found my father's dream. After so many years of research and searching, I've finally found the way up to the legendary Sky," he said softly, his voice choking up from so much emotion.

Shinichi broke into a smile and hugged his lover tightly. "That's… That's wonderful Kaito. I knew… I knew you could do it," he said, his own throat clogging up.

"Father would have been so happy. All his life, he always knew there was something above the city, something bigger than these tunnels, bigger than all of us. The city never was large enough to contain him and now, now I can finally show him and…" he stopped, a few tears trickling down from his eyes.

"I know, Kaito. I know."

2.** Day and night**

Kaito yawned as Shinichi entered.

"Oh my shift already?" he said around his yawn, already getting up and stretching.

Shinichi nodded tiredly and collapsed onto the chair Kaito had just vacated.

"I think we need to find some helpers and soon," Shinichi muttered, rubbing his forehead. "After a few eons of this, it gets rather tiring."

Kaito uttered a short laugh and kissed the dazed Night on the forehead before popping on his top hat from the hat rack beside the door.

"We will. It's only a matter of time," the Day assured him.

"Define matter of time. Is it as short as a second or is it going to be another millennia? Well I suppose time is no issue for us. Even a millennia is short by our standards and helpers or not, we'll continue working in the Clock anyway. It's not as though we have a choice," Shinichi grumbled as he wandered into their tiny kitchen and pressed the switch for coffee, taking off his own top hat.

"Now, now don't be so pessimistic," Kaito tutted, straightening his tailcoat and grabbing his cane.

"I'm not being a pessimist," Shinichi mumbled, blowing at his coffee. "I'm being a realist and by thinking myself as a realist, I'm an optimist. Besides, being an optimist is more your forte."

"That it may be but it doesn't mean you should be a downer all the time realist or no," Kaito said, opening the door. "Well, I'm going out now. Make sure that coffee doesn't keep you from your sleep. Cheers!" And with that the sound of the door closing met his ears.

"It'll take more than one cup of coffee to keep me up," Shinichi said to no one in particular before making his way out of the kitchen, through the small wooden living room where Kaito had just exited, cluttered with miscellaneous things, and up the narrow creaky staircase to his cramped study.

He'll read a quick book and then retire for the day.

3.** Dawn and twilight**

6:00: Sleep in another hour.

7:00: Wake up and get ready. Also wake up Shin-chan. If he's curled up, give him five more minutes of sleep; it means he's really tired.

Start preparing breakfast. Make sure coffee is immediately handy. Coffee should always be black but he'll also settle for caffeinated tea if stressed. It seems to soothe him better. Never give him decaf even as a prank. He'll taste it immediately. He'll finish it anyway but he'll remain irritable for the rest of the morning.

7:30: Eat breakfast together. If he taps his right finger against the cup, it means he's thinking about skipping lunch for the day and to make a note to drop by later to force something in him.

7:45: Greet Ran-chan. Walk together to school.

8:00: Arrive at school and part for class. Make sure to give Shin-chan a kiss before parting~

Maybe spice things up during the day…

12:00: Survived class to lunchtime! Seek out Shin-chan for lunch. If he has a lot of work he wants to finish, he'll try to hide out in remote, quiet places where no one is likely to find him. Locations are random each time but it's not hard to find him. If not, he'll usually be in his classroom waiting.

12:45: Lunchtime finished. Time to go back to the torture chamber. Give Shin-chan another kiss~

Classes are still boring. What ever would they do without me to brighten things up?

15:00: School is done! Seek out Shin-chan again to either hang out or run into some sort of case that needs solving. It seems the rate of murders happening around him decreases when I'm around though. Interesting.

If he has his hands in his pockets and a dazed look, make double effort to drag him out. It's no good letting him think about things too much. If he looks distant and occasionally bites his lip however, it means he's upset about something but never immediately confront him. Make lighthearted conversation with him but always allow him to prepare himself adequately to talk and he'll come out by himself by the end of the day.

He might have soccer practice some days after school though. Always be there afterwards ~

18:00: Dinnertime! Either eat out or cook in. Shin-chan isn't too picky with food so he's okay with either. He usually just goes along with whatever I want. We might still be out with everyone so we might dine all together.

Evening wildcard! He could book it to the library, relax with me, or go along with whatever I have in mind for the night. I usually drag him with me because reading books and going through case files is boring and the police should do their jobs for once without depending on a genius high schooler to leave his social life in the dust.

22:00: Preparing for bed. Antics may or may not ensue~

23:00: Good night Shin-chan~

4.** Midnight and noon**

It was midnight. Witching Hour was upon them and Kaito had a job to do.

Standing up from where he had been laying on the back of a statue of a snarling lion mounted on the ledge of the building a good few hundred feet up, he did a last check of his inventory before nimbly flipping himself up and over to a balcony a few feet above him.

"KID do you read me?" came the voice from his earpiece.

"Loud and clear, Cyan."

"Good. I'm picking up a huge, and I mean _huge_, magical residue out in the north. Readings are literally off the charts. This job may be too big even for you, KID."

Kaito frowned as he made his way up to the roof. "Nothing's too big for me."

"Maybe but I'm not taking any chances. I'm just worried KID. This feels… different. It's a lot more powerful and you and I both know you can get way over your head sometimes with your stupid ego."

"Hey I have good reason for that," he retorted playfully.

"Yeah, yeah. I've requested help from Main and they accepted."

"Cyan!" yelped the Pursuer indignantly. "I'm an Independent! I never need help!"

"Oh take your pride and shove it KID. I'm... not about to lose you."

Kaito sighed softly in a defeated way. Aoko had lost her father years ago doing the same job she was doing now and it made her awfully insecure even when she tried to cover it up. He was one of the last close people she had and he just couldn't argue with her.

Still, he never had to partner up with _anyone_ before mainly because he was one of the best Pursuers there was and because hardly anyone could even keep up with him.

"Where am I supposed to meet my partner?" he asked grudgingly.

"She should be waiting on the roof of the building you're currently climbing in around five minutes."

"You know my new friend here might hinder me right?" he asked dryly, expertly parkouring his way up.

There was silence on the other end for a few seconds during which Kaito had successfully reached the top and was now leaning against the railing.

"I've thought of it but she's one of the best Main has. I've checked her records extensively and it's pretty impressive. She also has a very good Tracker guiding her, the best Tracker in the world they say and I'm not inclined to disagree. His records are even more impressive than even hers is so you don't have to worry about any mess-ups because they're pretty much perfect."

"They may make the prefect team but it doesn't mean _we'll_ make the perfect team," Kaito muttered, feeling disgruntled and maybe a tad petulant.

"Lighten up, KID. You just have to go through tonight okay? It's not even that long."

Kaito just gave a noncommittal grunt and continued waiting.

Three minutes later, the silhouette of a young woman quietly entered through the door to the roof. She looked around the area for a moment before spotting him and making her way over.

Kaito eyed her as she approached, evaluating her with critical eyes.

The girl was very pretty with her soft periwinkle eyes, pleasant facial features, and long light brown hair but underneath that he could see she was slightly tense, seeming ready to spring into action at the slightest provocation that something was wrong which said that she had the good senses to always be prepared. She was wearing clothing that allowed freer movement and black gloves made of what Kaito recognized as material that was tear-resistant yet flexible and concluded she was a hand-to-hand combat specialist. She didn't seem to be wearing anything excessive or unnecessary, something that was required if she were to be fast and malleable to maneuver through her stances: Shin and arm guards, a large pouch attached to a belt with various small compartments, and a knife at her hip.

He supposed he could work with her. The way she carried and presented herself said that she was experienced with a good head on her shoulders if her reasonable assortment of items she carried on her was anything to go by. They could also cover each other's backs more easily because although he was good with close quarter combat, he mainly attacked at a distance.

"Hello, you must be KID. I'm Coch, your partner for tonight," Coch introduced in a light, friendly tone, extending a hand for him to shake.

Kaito put on a charming smile and took the hand. "The pleasure is all mine," he said smoothly, kissing the back of her hand.

Coch blushed lightly as she retracted her hand. "Oh uh, thank you…"

"If we're done flirting," a dry, male voice said from his earpiece. So it seems Aoko exchanged communication frequency with her fellow Tracker.

"Ah, so this must be the lovely Coch's Tracker. A pleasure."

There was a snort. "I'm sure."

"My, have I hit a nerve? I apologize if this lovely lady is your girlfriend."

"No but she's my best friend so if you would kindly not subject us all to your cloyingly superficial and cliché charm, I would appreciate it thanks.

"Noon!" Coch reprimanded, her blush becoming more apparent.

Aoko cleared her throat to interrupt any further bickering and said, "Well it seems the communication system is working smoothly. I'm Cyan, KID's Tracker. It's nice to meet you all. I hope we can all work together in this to make this mission a success."

There was a general sound of consensus and then they were off towards what Kaito hoped was an entertaining night with the dour yet interesting Tracker of his new partner.

5.** Sun and moon**

It was said that long ago, there was a young god of trickery. The patron of thieves, the prince of the night, the son of the moon, the granter of good fortune, he often took the form of a silver-white fox as he performed his mischief, forever eluding the grasp of those who wished to capture him.

One day, the cunning god decided to stir some trouble in the emperor's court for it was a place rife with the potential for chaos and he slipped himself discreetly among the courtiers while sowing the seeds of havoc.

During his stay however, a young man caught his eye. The child of the sun goddess and one of the lords, he was accompanying his father to observe the various court proceedings that took place within the palace.

Ever watchful and sharp, he managed to foil many of the god's mischief and it did not take long before the god grew interested in the young lord.

Eventually, it came to be that they no longer saw each other as mere rivals and the two grew close.

From that time on, the god visited the young lord every night, sometimes to talk and sometimes to observe in silence. But as the full cycle of moons waxed and waned, he grew more and more attached to the young lord until it came to be that the god cannot bear the thought of parting from him for the Heavens.

And so it was with that that the god of mischief fell in love…

* * *

1. This one actually came to me while I was listening to World's End Umbrella where (from what I can get from it) the people lived never knowing what the sky looked like since it was always rainy until a boy and a girl traveled up and saw the sunset so I decided to do something similar. As I was writing it, I realized that it reminded me of the book, The City of Amber where a whole city lived underground yet never knowing. It's an interesting book and it's been made into a movie too. Well, I tried to put as much emotion into it as possible and I liked the way it came out.

2. This one was inspired by Clock Lock Works sung by ASK and Faneru. Think Steampunk when you read it ;)

3. Tried to add an original twist. I tried to make it so that it shows Kaito's astute observation of Shinichi's innate habits to show how close they were but it was a bit difficult with this kind of schedule format. Thus a very rough outline of what an "average" day might be like in the lives of a magician and a detective.

4. This story was the whole reason why my update was so late in coming because I realized that I. Was. Missing. A. Fifth. Story. So I frantically tried to think of one. Although this one was a bit short notice, I actually like how this one came out. Coch is short for Cochleanthes, the scientific name of a type of orchid.

5. Tried to write in an "old storytelling" format. This one will have a continuation or two.


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